Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

40d Talk:Armor

2009-03-26T22:38:55Z

Breakfight:

==Boots==
Corrected the matter with low and high boots. If you look at the raws you can see that the armor level of both boot types are the same and thus they can both be used as chain and plate armor. My games have proved this to me. Only real difference between the two boot types is that the high boot is heavier and protects more of the body than just the feet. [[User:Noctis|Noctis]] 05:18, 22 December 2007 (EST)

==clothes layers==
Does anyone know the rules of where you can wear each piece of armor? For example, can you wear a high boot and leggings? or only low boots with leggings? Do you need to make two boots? --[[User:Mitchy|Mitchy]] 20:30, 9 November 2007 (EST)

: You can wear high boots with leggings. Leggings and high boots have different layers. --[[User:JT|JT]] 17:15, 11 November 2007 (EST)

On a similar note, what's the difference between steel leggings and steel greaves? I would've thought leggings would cover below the knee as well. Do I need both to provide maximum Xtreme protection? [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 15:17, 18 November 2007 (EST)

: As far as I can tell, greaves are the Plate class upgrade to leggings, which are Chain class lower body armor. Unlike upper body armor however, dwarves don't appear to be able to wear both leggings and greaves at once and will drop their leggings in favour of a set of greaves when set to Plate armor. --[[User:TangoThree|TangoThree]] 14:03, 25 November 2007 (EST)

==Protection values==
I would like to know if it's possible to find out the various protection values of different types of armor. For example, we know the material and quality modifiers for armor, but not, say, how much better plate mail protects you than chain. Or whether greaves or high boots offer more coverage.
I ask because I'm wondering if, with high quality modifiers, [[adamantine]] ''clothing'' is viable protection for those who aren't wearing armor. Certainly, it'd make a good halfway measure for those who can't do magma smelting yet, but ''can'' get a Craftsdwarf's Workshop, Loom, and Clothesmaker's Workshop set up to extract the threads, weave them, and make clothes. --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 11:48, 13 December 2007 (EST)

==Soldier==

I think some of this article, specifically that stuff in the Using armor section, should be moved over to an article more dedicated to soldier preferences. As it is, it's describing everything about arming civilians with weapons instead of simply talking about armoring civilians; that content seems more appropriate for an article about soldiers or the hunting article. --[[User:JT|JT]] 17:15, 11 November 2007 (EST)

==Verified==

I can verify that whan setting dwarves to chain, they wear gauntlets --[[User:Nog|Nog]] 16:21, 12 November 2007 (EST)

== Table ==

I added a Materials Needed section to the table. Is this OK? --[[User:Nanor|Nanor]] 19 December 2007

:Excellent idea. It looked a little odd in the table, so I moved it to the text instead. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 16:47, 19 December 2007 (EST)

:: Much better! Thanks! --[[User:Nanor|Nanor]] 17:50, 19 December 2007 (EST)

== 23.130.23a ==

We had much more info on armor in the [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Armor old wiki]. Could someone with an account there bring the relevant bits over? [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:18, 22 December 2007 (EST)

:Edit: Ported over most information; change anything that isn't correct.--[[User:Richards|Richards]] 13:06, 26 April 2008 (EDT)

== Leather Armor re: Caps and Helms ==

A soldier set to leather armor can wear leather helms, not just caps, and they'll wear a cap at the same time underneath (at least, if it's silk. I haven't confirmed yet if a soldier will wear a leather cap + a leather helm; doesn't really matter). This is a good thing because helms (according to the old wiki) have higher Block. They're heavier too but this shouldn't be a problem. --[[User:Stromko|Stromko]] 19:57:15 (PST), January 06 2007

:In the old versions, the materials of the armor pieces were irrelevant, regardless of the fact that the lowest armor level is called "leather". Leather and chain wearers would wear any kind of legging or boot, and a plate wearer would wear even a pig tail helm, if they happened to come across one, showing no preference for better material types or quality. Has this changed, or does the table in this article contain some wrong assumptions?--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 02:42, 7 January 2008 (EST)

::I seem to recall that 'light' materials like cloth, shell, and bone effectively 'downgraded' armor by one level, weighed half as much, and were 50% of the maximum effectiveness per their type. However! I can see right now in my current fortress a steel cap is 78 pounds and a cave spider silk cap is 13 pounds. This shows not all old information is correct.

Furthermore, bone and shell doesn't become a 'lighter' class. Shell Gauntlets require Chain or above to be assigned, and Turtle Bone Greaves go un-used until a dwarf is set to Plate.

However, I /can/ confirm from this very fortress I'm looking at right now, that dwarves assigned to leather went to pick up and wear Leather Helms. Unless, that is, they already have metal Caps. I'm looking at a marksdwarf right now assigned to wear Leather who has a Steel Cap, a pig tail hood (they all have hoods), and no helm. Everybody else has a leather helm.

I should note my fortress has no metal helms lying around, nor does it have spare metal caps, so I'm unable to verify that dwarves set to Leather wouldn't wear metal Helms or preferentially choose caps (they'd probably choose /either/ Metal Caps or Leather Helms if given a choice). However, I'm pretty sure they would not. Therefore, it is my understanding that they make a distinction between different material types. --[[User:Stromko|Stromko]] 03:22 (PST), January 07 2007

== Shields and Bucklers ==

Hmm it states here that dwarves can wear BOTH shields and bucklers, however in soldiering screen you can select EITHER shield OR buckler, but NOT both. Does this part of article apply to Adv. mode only? Could someone verify, please? --[[User:Digger|Digger]] 18:21, 24 February 2008 (EST)

I would guess the trick is to tell them to use bucklers first, waiting til they pick one up, then telling them to use shields, at which point they'll pick up a shield without dropping the buckler first. Like how you can get dwarves to wear a leather armour, chain mail, and plate on top all at the same time if you set them to leather, then chain, then plate. [[User:Furiousfish|Furiousfish]] 20:54, 6 March 2008 (EST)

== Natural Selection ==

Being a bit of a nooblet, and not having much war in any of my fortresses, I'm confused as to how armor selection works.

Would I be correct if I said "Setting a dwarf to wear Plate armor will cause him to grab plate whenever and wherever possible, but substitute leather, chain, or bone wherever no plate is available. So, for example, if my metalsmiths never make helms, but my leatherworker has caps and helms galore, they'll wear plate armor and a leather helm. Right? If so, this should probably be mentioned. --[[User:Shadow archmagi|Shadow archmagi]] 19:24, 28 February 2008 (EST)
:I've found that a dwarf set to wear plate will grab the best available armor. More puzzling is that they will sometimes stack armor; IE dwarves wearing plate mail and chain mail at the same time. However, I never keep a stock of leather armor, so I wouldn't know if it can be used in conjunction with metal armor.--[[User:Eurytus|Eurytus]] 22:29 21 April 2008 (EDT)
::The dwarves seem to be notorious for pulling on a full suit of armour ie chain-then-plate, there's a reason a fort I made (whose metal industry relies on eg [[coal]] and [[lignite]]) is making all chain-mail, crossbows and shields to defend against gobbo raids ;) --[[User:Frostedfire|Frostedfire]] 09:13, 3 June 2008 (EDT)
Just wanted to point out that leather armor and plate can't be put on together.

== Gloves ==
My military is set to wear Leather armor, but they don't take leather gloves. High boots, leggings, armor and helmets are used OK. Is the article data incorrect?--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 04:51, 15 April 2008 (EDT)

Some equipment is unavaliable for dwarf use because it is the incorrect size. --[[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 09:40, 3 June 2008 (EDT)

My guess is that your dwarves are already wearing cloth gloves. This is considered clothing level armor, the same level as leather gloves. They see no reason to switch armor when the leather gloves provide the same "level of protection." I think your best bet would be to dump their cloth gloves, if you're that worried about them. You can always reclaim them later. --[[User:PrettyGrizzly|PrettyGrizzly]] 11:00, 4 July 2008 (EDT)

== Artifacts ==

This has an excellent table defining the bonuses for quality/materials, but completely excludes artifact modifiers. I would assume that these would always be the best, regardless, of material, but I just found myself with a rhesus macaque leather shield and don't know if I should use it in place of, oh, I don't know, a more ''steel'' one.
:Currently, the exact modifier for artifact quality seems to be unknown. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 18:27, 30 September 2008 (EDT)

==Fort-mode equipment quirks==

The edit I just made was prompted by seeing a dwarf wearing ''twelve'' cloaks, and remembering the "cannot wear cloaks" phrase mentioned in the pre-edit version of the bit below the giant table. I tried to reconcile the two statements that were already there, particularly in light of said cloak-happy dwarf. However, there's also one thing I'm wondering about: is the number of equipped items partially determined by what order they're put on in fortress mode? I ''think'' it is, but am not sure, so I decided not to include that. If it's the case, however, I think it'd be worth mentioning along with the cloaks part (even in the old version of the page, should somebody decide to revert my edit or something). --[[User:LegacyCWAL|LegacyCWAL]] 20:23, 6 July 2008 (EDT)

== Over Under Armor Cover ==

Besides sounding like a Daft Punk chorus, these are four LAYER values. I know what Over and Under do with respect to each other: You can't wear Under on top of Over. Do the others follow the same pattern, are they all ordered? Is there some more mysterious effect for "Cover" and "Armor"? --[[User:Sowelu|Sowelu]] 01:04, 27 November 2008 (EST)

== Decorating Armor ==
Wasn't sure whether to ask this here or under gem setter - is it not possible to get a gem setter to decorate armor? I know leather armor can receive images and bone/shell decorations (and presumably the bone/shell applies to metal as well), I can't fathom why you can't put gems on suits of armor given that.... --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 11:44, 5 December 2008 (EST)
:AFAIK no, it isn't possible to decorate armor or weapons. That's one of the more frequently requested additions on the forums.[[User:LegacyCWAL|LegacyCWAL]] 14:33, 5 December 2008 (EST)
::It is, however, possible to acquire armor already decorated with gems via trade with a caravan. --[[User:Sev|Sev]] 16:09, 5 December 2008 (EST)
:::Said armor would unlikely to be masterwork, nor with masterwork decorations. Nor would it be made of adamantine. I'm afraid its no real supplement. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 16:35, 5 December 2008 (EST)
::::Oh, sure, if you want to, like, *survive*. Instead of look pretty. Where are your priorities? :) --[[User:Sev|Sev]] 16:50, 5 December 2008 (EST)
:::::I want to survive *and* look pretty. When faced with a choice of two appealing options, the correct choice is obviously 'yes'. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 17:01, 5 December 2008 (EST)
::::::I suppose you have a point. Oh, well, back to [[Decoration|Stud with platinum]]. --[[User:Sev|Sev]] 19:25, 5 December 2008 (EST)

40d:Armor

2009-03-26T22:36:32Z

Breakfight:

==Armor==
'''Armor''' is a class of clothing items that your [[dwarves]] can wear for protection to keep them alive longer. Armor can range from simple [[clothing]], light weight [[shell]], [[bone]] and [[leather]], to heavy [[chain mail]] and [[plate mail]].

Giving your dwarves protective garments will help to keep them alive in combat, as well as safe from the elements. It will also protect them against [[sparring]] injuries and may develop their [[Armor user]] skill.

Civilians will not wear armor other than clothing. Assign them to be [[wood cutter]]s or [[miner]]s if you're concerned about them, since they'll carry [[axe]]s and [[pick]]s repectively then even if they're not drafted.

== Making armor ==
Depending on the type and material, different dwarves with specific skills are needed to make armor. While clothes aren't necessarily armor, they do offer limited protection. Shell and bone armors are made by a [[bone carver]] at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]]. Chain mail and plate mail are made by an [[armorer]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]]. The type of [[metal]] used affects the effectiveness of the armor. Leather armors are made at a [[leather works]] by a [[leatherworker]]. Skilled craftdwarves, leather workers and armorers will produce better quality armor that multiplies the effectiveness of the item.

==Quality==
[[Toady]] has [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=18021.msg177112#msg177112 stated] that [[Quality|item quality]] increases its protection (or damage, in the case of [[weapons]]), namely, "Quality has a huge effect on damage and damage reduction... Exceptional is almost double damage/damage block."

{|cellpadding="2" border="1"
! Symbol !! Name !! Damage reduction multiplier
|-
| Item || Basic armor || x1.0
|-
| -Item- || Well-crafted armor || x1.2
|-
| +Item+ || Finely Crafted armor || x1.4
|-
| *Item* || Superior Quality armor || x1.6
|-
| ≡Item≡ || Exceptional armor || x1.8
|-
| ☼Item☼ || Masterful armor || x2.0
|}
==Material==
Better materials provide better protection, according to the following table:

{|cellpadding="2" border="1"
! Material !! Modifier %
|-
| [[Adamantine]] || 500
|-
| [[Steel]] || 133
|-
| [[Iron]] || 100
|-
| [[Bronze]] or [[Bismuth bronze]] || 75
|-
| [[Copper]] || 66
|-
| Other metals/materials ([[leather]], [[cloth]], [[bone]], [[shell]], [[wood]], etc.) || 50
|}

== Using Armor ==

To tell a [[dwarf]] to wear armor in Fortress Mode, {{k|v}}iew the dwarf, go to {{k|p}}references, then {{k|s}}oldiering. There you can select the highest level of armor he should wear: clothes, leather, chain, or plate. Shield level is selected separately. You can also set the armor level for many dwarves at once on the {{k|m}}ilitary screen, under {{k|w}}eapons.

Upgrading a civilian dwarf's armor level will not take effect unless they are activated as soldiers. Civilians will not wear armor other than [[clothing]], except for those given the [[Ambusher|Hunting]] [[labor]] (provided their armor level is set above "clothing"). This will, however, cause them to go out into the wilderness and hunt any wild animal they encounter.
If you set dwarves' armor level above their current set of armor (for instance, 'plate' when they are wearing chain armor), they will replace their current armor level and use armor of the better armor level when it is available. Unfortunately, dwarves do not make a distinction between different [[materials]] or [[quality|item qualities]], so if they are already wearing a [[helm]] (of, say, copper), they will not pick up a steel helm, as they are of the same armor level.

The solution is to set the dwarf's armor level to 'clothes', so that they drop their armor altogether, then station them standing on top of the pieces of armor you want them to wear (typically located on an armor [[stockpile]] or still in the [[forge]]) and set their armor to the desired level again. Hopefully you can get them to complete the operation without wandering off to find a set of civilian clothes to wear first. A similar technique can be used to get dwarves to change [[weapons]] as well (from an iron short [[sword]] to an [[obsidian]] one, for instance). This can be effectively managed by using the ['''q'''] tool to edit stockpiles to store only certain kinds of item materials. You could for instance keep a Stockpile of bone and wood [[bolt]]s as well as silver weapons behind a door near the [[barracks]], so you can lock up the crappy stuff when the [[goblins]] are at the door.
In older versions of the game, armor would be stored on an [[Armor stand]] -- a piece of [[furniture]] which could also be used to define a [[room]] as a barracks. However, both armor stands and [[weapon rack]]s proved to be buggy, and their "container" status has currently been disabled. For now, store your armor in a [[stockpile]] dedicated for the purpose.

Sometimes dwarves will ignore the armor they are standing on top of, and go put on the armor they had just removed. The best way to avoid this is to get rid of the inferior armor -- either by [[chasm]]ing it, [[melt]]ing it (if metal), or [[trading]] it away. This may take some time to carry out, meaning you must leave some of your soldiers at "clothing" armor level for a while until the unwanted pieces are disposed of. Keep in mind when melting armor pieces that only about 30% of the metal is recovered, so you should avoid making excess quantities with your most precious metal (steel, generally) unless you have a [[legendary]] armorsmith.

Heavy armor can reduce dwarves' [[speed]], especially when they wear several pieces. Being [[attributes|Strong]] will reduce this problem, as will [[Armor user]] skill (gained by fighting or sparring in armor). Extremely Strong dwarves can generally wear a complete suit of plate armor without being burdened. Armor User at "Expert" level is also generally enough to eliminate the burden of a full suit of plate, even for a dwarf without any Strength attribute. Experiment in adventure mode in order to find out more how this system works.

As an emergency measure, a dwarf who is about to be [[justice|hammered]] can be turned into a [[military]] recruit and set to "Plate" armor level; if they manage to don the suit before being captured, it will reduce the damage they take.

== Armor Levels ==

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Slot
! Leather
! Chain
! Plate
|-
| Head
| leather [[cap]] and/or [[helm]]
| metal [[cap]] and/or [[helm]]
| [[helm]]
|-
| Upper Body
| [[leather|leather armor]]
| [[chain mail]]
| [[plate mail]]
|-
| Lower Body
| leather [[leggings]]
| metal/bone/shell [[leggings]]
| [[greaves]]
|-
| Foot
| leather low/high [[boot]]
| metal low/high [[boot]]
| metal low/high [[boot]]
|-
| Hand
| nothing
| [[gauntlet]]
| [[gauntlet]]
|}

==Types of Protection==

Garments fit on different body parts depending on the item in question, and require different orders based on material sometimes.
They may additionally protect upper and lower arms and legs, depending on the garment. Dwarves do not seem to make a distinction between genders when selecting clothing to wear, so don't be startled when you see them running around in dresses.
There is no real difference between armor and clothing, except that maybe only non-clothing garments may increase the [[armor user]] skill.

This list only lists equipment Dwarves should be able to manufacture, from the file \raw\objects\entity_default.txt

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
!Body Part!!Clothing!!Weight!!Block!![[Cloth|Fiber]]/[[Silk]]!![[Leather]]!![[Bone]]!![[Shell]]!![[Metal]]!![[Wood]]!![[Size]]!![[Permit]]!!Layer
|-
|rowspan="3"|Head||Cap||10||20||Clothes||Clothes|| || ||Leather|| ||10||15||Over
|-
|Helm[S]||20||60|| ||Leather||Leather||Leather||Chain|| ||30||20||Armor
|-
|Hood||10||20||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||10||100||Cover
|-
|rowspan="10"|Upper Body||Dress||10||3/3||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||10||50||Under
|-
|Shirt||10||3/3||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||10||50||Under
|-
|Tunic||10||5/5||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||10||50||Under
|-
|Vest||10||2/2||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||10||50||Over
|-
|Robe||10||5/5||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||20||100||Over
|-
|Coat||50||15/15||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||20||50||Over
|-
|Leather Armor[S]||50||20/20|| ||Leather|| || || || ||20||50||Armor
|-
|Chainmail||75||50/30|| || || || ||Chain|| ||15||50||Armor
|-
|Platemail[S]||150||70/50|| || || || ||Plate|| ||20||50||Armor
|-
|Cloak||10||5/5||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||15||150||Cover
|-
|rowspan="3"|Hands||Gloves||10||60||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||10||10||Under
|-
||Gauntlets[S]||25||60|| || ||Chain||Chain||Chain|| ||20||15||Armor
|-
|Mittens||10||60||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||15||20||Cover
|-
|rowspan="3"|Lower Body||Trousers||20||20||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||15||30||Over
|-
|Leggings[S]||40||50|| ||Leather||Leather||Leather||Chain|| ||15||30||Armor
|-
|Greaves[S]||60||70|| || ||Plate|| ||Plate|| ||15||30||Armor
|-
|rowspan="4"|Feet||Socks||10||60||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||10||15||Under
|-
|Shoes||10||60||Clothes||Clothes|| || || || ||20||15||Over
|-
|Low Boots||15||60|| ||Leather|| || ||Chain|| ||25||15||Armor
|-
|High Boots||20||60|| ||Leather|| || ||Chain|| ||25||15||Armor
|-
|rowspan="2"|Shield||Buckler||15||60(10%)|| ||Buckler|| || ||Buckler||Buckler||NA||NA||NA
|-
|Shield||50||60(20%)|| ||Shield|| || ||Shield||Shield||NA||NA||NA
|}
Some clothing articles cannot be manufactured in every fort{{version|0.28.181.40d}}, this could be influenced by the fortress's [[civilization]].{{verify}}

[S] = Max one [S] per body slot (e.g. only one plate mail, and no greaves and leggings on top)

For the columns with material types, your dwarf must be set to at least the listed armor level before he or she will put on a piece of armor made from that material. For instance, dwarves will wear cloth or leather caps at "Clothing" armor level, but must be at "Leather" armor level or better before they will put on a metal cap.

===Weight===

The '''Weight''' figure is not meaningful by itself; items made with different materials can have vastly different weights. For instance, steel items weigh 7.85 times the listed weight (a steel helm weighs 20 * 7.85 = 157Γ).

Some selected weight multipliers:

{|
| Steel and iron || 7.85
|-
| Bronze and bismuth bronze || 8.25
|-
| Copper || 8.93
|-
| Silver || 10.49
|-
| Adamantine || 0.2
|-
| Most stone || 2.67
|-
| Leather || 1.9
|-
| Plant cloth || 1.52
|-
| Silk cloth || 1.34
|-
| Bone and shell || 1.1
|-
| Glumprong wood (the heaviest) || 1.2
|-
| Feather tree wood (the lightest) || 0.1
|-
| Tower-cap wood || 0.6
|-
| Most other wood || ~0.5
|-
|}

More weight multipliers can be found in the [[raws]]; the weight multiplier of any given material is its [SOLID_DENSITY] divided by 1000.

===Size and Permit===

The '''Size''' and '''Permit''' values govern how much clothing or armor can be worn: for each body part, less than ''permit'' worth of ''size'' garments can be worn under the final garment. (The last garment itself can go over the limit.)

In [[adventurer mode]], the permit of each garment is checked at the time it is put on, which allows you to put on several cloaks (permit 150) on top of several layers of armor. In [[fortress mode]], the lowest "permit" value for any given body part is used: for instance, if a dwarf is wearing a dress (permit 50) and a total of 50 or more ''size'' worth of clothing on the upper body, it cannot put any more clothing on the upper body. (This explains why [[dungeon master]]s tend to wear several cloaks: they arrive at the fortress wearing only a cloak on the upper body (permit 150), and can put on a total of 10 of them, at 15 size each.)

=== Other Restrictions ===

"Under" layers cannot be put on over "over" layers, so, for instance, a dwarf cannot put on socks unless it first removes its shoes. They can wear over layers without putting an under layer on first, which explains their fondness for "going commando" (trousers without loincloth).

Dwarves will only put on the specific level of armor they are told to put on -- unless it is unavailable, in which case they will put on the next-best available armor level. For instance, if set to "plate", a dwarf will put on chainmail if no plate is available, or leather armor if neither chain nor plate is available.

Dwarves will also not remove lesser-level armor when moving to heavier armor level (notwithstanding the "permit" restrictions detailed above). If you step them through each armor level, you can get them to wear a metal cap plus helm, and chain mail plus plate mail.

In adventurer mode, you have direct control over what armor you put on, and are only limited by permit and "one only" restrictions. This means you can wear three suits of chain mail (total size 45) plus another suit of chain or plate on top of them. On top of this, you can add six cloaks.

For some reason, dwarves will ''never'' put on cloth/leather caps or gloves (except those they arrive in). There are no "under" layer headwear or "over" layer handwear in the game; it is possible this omission is causing the clothes-wearing algorithm to be non-functional at this time.

== Other Sizes ==
Beware! Dwarves can not wear any armor that is named 'large', 'narrow' or 'small' ([[elves]]', [[goblins]]'...) (except [[large rat]] leather armor :-) ). The smug traders will not warn you of this.

== Requirements ==
Creating plate mail requires three [[bar]]s of metal to [[forge]]. Chain mail and greaves require two bars. All other metal armor requires one bar per piece. Note that making gauntlets or boots will always produce a pair (a left and right gauntlet, or two boots) from one bar of metal. A full suit of leather armor requires four leather pieces to manufacture, a full suit of chain armor requires six metal bars, and a full suit of plate armor requires eight metal bars. This does not include [[shield]]s.

Bone greaves require three ''stacks'' of bone to make (the stacks can be of any size), and bone leggings require two stacks; all other bone and shell items (including shell leggings) require one stack of bone/one shell to make.

== Shields and Bucklers ==

Shields and [[buckler]]s come in all the same material flavours as armor, but offer a slightly different form of protection. While armor absorbs some of the damage from all successful attacks, a shield provides complete protection from some attacks. In [[Adventure Mode]], a successful block may also grant the defender an immediate free counterattack. Bucklers weigh less than shields, making them useful for more mobile [[marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]], but provide less protection.

Shields offer a unique bonus, a chance for an instantaneous deflection. Shields provide a 20% chance of total deflection, while bucklers provide a 10% chance of deflection. This chance of deflection is then altered by the wielder's [[Shield user]] skill, although the exact mechanics are unknown.

== Oddities ==
* Dwarves will not switch to metal gauntlets or greaves by themselves if they are already wearing bone gauntlets or greaves. They will, however, switch to a "better" material if it changes the level (such as metal helms being chain while bone helms are leather) whether you like it or not.
* Dwarves will not take off chain mail when switched to "plate" armor level, and will not take off any kind of cap (including metal) when putting on a helm. They can also wear socks, gloves, trousers, a dress, and one or more robes under armor. They cannot, however, wear leggings and greaves at the same time, or shoes and boots.
* Dwarves feel it's perfectly normal to wear one leather low boot and one steel high boot. If it fits, it fits, right?
* If told to wield a weapon and a shield, a dwarf will sometimes carry both in the same hand. This can cause them to be unable to use either; switch their shield level and weapon to "unarmed" and make sure they drop both items before assigning them a shield and weapon again.
* You may also find them with other stray items in one or both hands, such as an extra gauntlet or a pair of leggings. This will make them unable to use their shield or weapon. Switch them to "clothes" armor level until they drop everything, then back to plate to force them to dress themselves properly. You can also try designating the excess items for [[dump]]ing, provided you have a dump and an unoccupied dwarf with Refuse Hauling enabled.

[[Category:Armor| ]]
[[Category:Items]]
[[Category:Military]]

40d:Pet

2009-03-25T20:52:56Z

Breakfight:

Tame [[animal]]s can be adopted as '''pets''' by [[dwarves]].
On the animals screen ({{K|z}}-Animals), you can mark each animal as Available/Unavailable by selecting it and pressing {{K|Enter}}.
Available large animals may be adopted by any [[dwarf]], but tame [[vermin]] will only be adopted by dwarves who like that animal.

[[Tame]] animals that are not already pets are treated as livestock, and you can ready them for slaughter (at the [[butcher's shop]]) on the same screen. If a tame animal dies by any means other than slaughtering at a butcher's shop, it cannot be butchered, and its [[bone]]s and [[skull]] cannot be used to make objects. Once an animal has been adopted as a pet, it will be given a name, and can no longer be slaughtered. It will also stop hanging out in meeting area [[zone]]s and [[room]]s, preferring instead to follow their owner.

[[Cat]]s are shown as "Uninterested", because cats choose their owners. They will not choose an owner if kept in a [[cage]], although they might choose one in the midst of being transferred to the cage. Another way to keep the fort from being littered with pet cats is to turn them into [[kitchen|+Kitten Tallow Biscuits+]].

[[Dog]]s can be trained at the [[kennel]] as either war dogs or hunting dogs. Trained dogs can be assigned to a specific dwarf via that dwarf's [[preference]] menu ({{k|v}}-{{k|p}}-{{k|e}}, "Assign trained animal"). Trained dogs will follow their trainer around until they are assigned to someone else (or caged or chained).

[[Immigrant]]s often arrive with one or more pet animals (limited to dogs, cats, [[cow]]s, [[horse]]s, [[mule]]s, or [[donkey]]s). The offspring of pets are always tame but not themselves pets. However, they will follow their mother's owner around until they are trained, become someone else's pet, or are caged or chained.

Pets will die of old age eventually, although this could take over a decade.

===Advantages/disadvantages===
* Unhappy dwarves can be "comforted by a pet" and become happier.
* The pet will follow their owner everywhere, and cannot be [[cage]]d or [[chain]]ed.
* Death of a pet makes its owner unhappy, though less so than death of a friend or family member.
* Dead pets should be buried in a [[coffin]], or the owner will be more upset.
* Pets can't be eaten unless the owner is dead (the animal keeps its name but is no longer a pet).

===Effects on performance===
Depending on the computer, having a lot of pets can make an impact on [[FPS]]. This is one of the greatest dangers posed by a [[catsplosion]], but tests have shown that killing a relatively small number of pets can significantly affect performance.

[[Category:Creatures]]

40d Talk:Fortification

2009-03-25T08:00:53Z

Breakfight:

==Can water or magma flow through fortifications?==
Can water or magma flow through fortifications?--[[User:Javiskefka|Javiskefka]] 03:45, 29 November 2007 (EST)
:Yes. I use this all the time to keep the pesky fire imps out of my magma channels. --[[User:Valdemar|Valdemar]] 21:12, 5 January 2008 (EST)
::I did so, too. But after some time the magma melted the fortification away and the imps could pass through unhindered again.--[[User:Doub|Doub]] 13:42, 12 March 2007 (EST)
::: Use [[bauxite]]. --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 01:20, 14 March 2008 (EDT)
::::Possible alternative: Will fortifications melt if they are carved instead of constructed? Perhaps instead of mining out the last tile before fleeing, the dwarf could carve a fortification in the obsidian. It's conceivable that that tile, being one of the original tube liners, could be magma-proof by fiat. --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 11:27, 20 March 2008 (EDT)
:::::I tried this when breaching into a magma pipe and yes, the (warm) obsidian fortification is still present many years later. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Dwarf who had the misfortune of being the one assigned the task of carving the fortification. Magma apparently flows faster than a dwarf can run, especially when their feet are on fire. -- [[User:Raumkraut|Raumkraut]] 04:33, 19 April 2008 (EDT)
:::::Ditto -- carved fortifications don't melt. (I built like this: lava-wall-fortification, then channelled the wall from above) It appears the game tends to treat carved and constructed things very differently. [[User:Anydwarf|Anydwarf]] 12:57, 19 April 2008 (EDT)
::::::I just build [[vertical bars]] in channels, usually out of iron. Keeps bad things and good things out, lets water and magma flow through. --[[User:JT|JT]] 16:42, 19 April 2008 (EDT)
:::::::Yeah, I built bauxite grates at first, but then I had a thought that [[magma men]] (being buildingdestroyer:2) could bust them open. [[User:Anydwarf|Anydwarf]] 17:48, 19 April 2008 (EDT)
::::::I just embarked without any preparations (random items/skills) on a site with volcano. I created empty pool, and then carved fortifications near it. After that I channeled rock before the fortifications, and now I see just lying obsidian... Looks like carved fortifications melt too, at least in the current version. --[[User:Someone-else|Someone-else]] 10:08, 24 April 2008 (EDT)
:::::::No, the fortification is still there, it just looks like magma until you loo{{k|k}} at it. While I was checking this I noticed a fire imp on the wrong side of the fortification, so I guess it isn't enough. (or can they spawn anywhere?) [[User:Anydwarf|Anydwarf]] 13:59, 24 April 2008 (EDT)
::::::::Strong current can currently push creatures through any kind of obstacle that allows liquid flow. I will retry check with the obsidian fortification in my obsidian factory. --[[User:Someone-else|Someone-else]] 19:15, 4 May 2008 (EDT)

==Open questions ==
*What depth is required for a liquid such as water or magma to flow through a fortification? minimum 4/7? --[[User:Nexii Malthus|Nexii Malthus]] 19:11, 9 March 2008 (EDT)
:I've just tried this with constructed fortifications (green glass) and water. The fortification doesn't seem to impede the flow of water at all. -- [[User:Raumkraut|Raumkraut]] 10:15, 19 April 2008 (EDT)
:I had a section of fortress walled off from my moat with fortifications, and it filled with magma at the same rate as the rest of the moat. I think they are considered clear for the purposes of liquid flow. [[User:Dangerous Beans|Dangerous Beans]] 06:14, 1 December 2008 (EST)

*At what angle can one shoot through fortifications?
:As far as I'm concerned the angle is pretty sharp - I'd say about 30-25 degree. On close distances the dwarf has to be pretty much in straight line with target. I'm not sure if this applies to fortifications that don't touch walls such as ones in aboveground archery towers or long carved walls. --[[User:Someone-else|Someone-else]] 19:33, 19 April 2008 (EDT)
::Just think of fortifications as of empty space in that concern. Just with a skill check to shoot through. --[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 00:20, 3 December 2008 (EST)

*some people claim that you can shoot at attackers from one z level above (thats true for sure), but they cant shoot back. Is this true? --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 11:48, 8 March 2008 (EST)
:Yes, it works great. I think they can shoot down more than 1 z-level but I can't confirm this.[[User:Moonman|Moonman]] 10:47, 11 March 2008 (EDT)
::iirc, they CAN shoot back, they just cant hit well. if you are next to the fortification you are shooting through theres no penalty. trying to shoot through from more than 1 square away is a skill check. if the fortification is up a z-level, the dwarf on the inside will still be next to the fortification, but the enemy can never be, so must alway shoot at a penalty. --[[User:Chariot|Chariot]] 15:33, 11 March 2008 (EDT)
::I've had goblins shooting back at my fortifications one z-level above and regular crossbowmen have difficulty, but elite goblin crossbowmen can hit and kill in one shot. However, three z-levels above and there's little to no return fire, and my dwarves seem to have better range firing down too (but I can't confirm this for sure). This would make complete sense, as high ground certainly does give a tactical advantage in reality.--[[User:TimE|TimE]] 05:37, 20 March 2008 (EDT)
:: '''Elite Goblin Archers still bring the pain''' over 1-2 Z-levels of height difference. Beware! --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 10:10, 23 January 2009 (EST)

*Do fortifications provide support for constructions above? --[[User:Someone-else|Someone-else]] 19:34, 19 April 2008 (EDT)
:Built fortifications provide no support/floor above them. Not sure about carved fortifications. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 11:17, 24 April 2008 (EDT)
:Fortifications act like a floor with a support on it. They do not provide a floor to the tile above them, but I built a 1x1 tower of fortifications five tall that remained even after deconstructing the scaffold, so they definitely support things above them. A fortification is impassible to creatures (except as pushed by liquid flow). --[[User:Rkyeun|Rkyeun]] 18:11, 2 December 2008 (EST)
::Except your dwarves can walk through supports, while they can't fortifications. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 15:57, 2 December 2008 (EST)
:::And supports don't provide marksdwarves with cover... was there a point to that remark? --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 17:41, 2 December 2008 (EST)
::::Yeah, there was. He specifically said that fortifications act like a floor tile with a support on it. This was partially wrong, so I pointed it out. Ryuken: definitely ''not'' flamewar seeds --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 18:21, 2 December 2008 (EST)

*Can fortifications be carved from metal walls? --[[User:Sublight|Sublight]] 16:07 28 November 2008 (JST)
:Yes, they can. Just tried it our this weekend. --[[User:Sublight|Sublight]] 11:19 01 December 2008 (JST)

==Difficulty of firing through fortifications==

It has long been held that there is a penalty to firing through a fortification from a distance, but I haven't observed any such penalty in actual practice. Can we confirm this through experimentation? --[[User:JT|JT]] 22:12, 21 June 2008 (EDT)

Seems like you could set up two or three identical archery targets with fortifications at different distances, and look for busted ammunition near the fortifications. Any bolt that "splashes" on the fortifications should leave evidence of its passage. --[[User:Jurph|Jurph]] 13:08, 1 December 2008 (EST)
:Doesn't work, they just end up standing in front of the fortifications. [[User:Dangerous Beans|Dangerous Beans]] 20:40, 3 December 2008 (EST)

Do constructed fortifications provide any defence from projectiles fired from higher z levels? I'm currently building a killing field, and want some way to protect my dwarfs from goblin arrows, while still allowing my marks dwarfs in the raised tower to fill the goblins full of bolts.[[User:Dangerous Beans|Dangerous Beans]] 20:08, 3 December 2008 (EST)

== Z-Levels and Distance ==
How many x/y tiles away from the enemy should fortification be to easily fire down one Z-level? --[[User:Corona688|Corona688]] 15:51, 12 December 2008 (EST)
:I think one tile per Z-level is a good rule of thumb. Moats (wet or dry) next to your walls help enforce this. --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 10:11, 23 January 2009 (EST)

==Prevention of ambushes==
I assume from personal experience that the law of range with z-level is that for every z-level you go up, the dwarf will get +1 range but at the same time will get a blind spot of +1 from the dwarf. Now the interesting is that if you have marksdwarfs (I am not sure if normal marksdwarfs will work, but it appears elites and champs work for this) on a z-level such that their range extends over the map screen, then ambushes will not appear in this area. I do not know if this holds true if the dwarfs aren't behind fortifications, but if they are it seems this works through repeats of the same save - ambushes would only appear on parts of the edges not covered in the range of marksdwarfs. However, at the same time my dwarfs won't shoot any goblins that show up because their shooting range is beyond. Anyone else want to test this or have done this? For reference, my marksdwarfs are 12 z-levels up from ground and are 13 tiles from the edge on a side. --[[User:Breakfight|Breakfight]]

40d Talk:Swimmer

2009-03-23T21:57:52Z

Breakfight:

Can you or can a dwarf not swim to the surface the answer says both. Maybe it means in adventurer mode? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Jikor|Jikor]]
: It was thought to be impossible, but then someone recorded a movie of a dwarf doing it, so...--[[User:SL|SL]] 20:38, 3 January 2008 (EST)

Are we sure that dwarves drown at the same rate with heavy or light equipment if they have swimming skill? Or is it just ones that have no skill?--[[User:SL|SL]] 20:38, 3 January 2008 (EST)
:I did the test for heavy vs. light, and I did not consider swimming ability. I just drowned two peasants, one in armour and one not. --[[User:Juckto|Juckto]] 05:49, 25 May 2008 (EDT)
::Just attempted to test it, but was unsuccesful as my two proficient swimmers climbed out of the pond I was trying to drown them in. So I added that to the article. --[[User:Juckto|Juckto]] 06:34, 25 May 2008 (EDT)

What are the exact requirements to build a drowning trap. I built a large outlook lake I could floor/empty. After luring some goblins into the area and filling it all to 7/7 the only goblin to drown was the one which stood directly under the area where the water entered from above. It seems that they will only drown if they are in 7/7 water and there is at least 1/7 water above them. Any confirmation/additions welcomed. [[User:Yvain|Yvain]] 16:49, 2 March 2008 (EST)
:If there is a roof above them they drown in 7/7 otherwise they can tread water, and keep their heads up to breath. --[[User:Ikkonoishi|Ikkonoishi]] 18:28, 2 March 2008 (EST)
::I've been dropping some of my caged goblins into a pit designed at the edge of a river, and they have no roof above them but are drowning quite nicely. [[User:G-Flex|G-Flex]] 02:17, 25 May 2008 (EDT)
:::Perhaps that's because the goblins are in cages? Maybe an uncaged goblin would be able to swim... on a related note, would it be advisable to place a chain in a swimming pool, to teach prisoners swimming skills? [[User:SwallowedSpear|SwallowedSpear]] 13:53, 27 January 2009 (EST)

I've been working on a water-pulse defensive mechanism, using flowing water to push things around, mostly to see if I can. Been getting some help on the DF forums. I'm going to make a few preliminary tests using dwarves as test subjects. In theory this should be a *safe* way to train swimming, because I don't know if continuous pulses of water will do enough drowning damage to kill something. ---[[User:Kefkakrazy|Kefkakrazy]] 02:18, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

== Learn to swim ==

If someone can improve the design, make a clearer image, or write better instructions, please do so. I don't know if what I wrote makes complete sense (it does to me, but then I already *know* what I mean), but it's a start at least. -[[User:Groveller|Groveller]] 14:58, 25 October 2008 (EDT)

:How much swimming skill do they tend to gain from the setup?--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 17:24, 25 October 2008 (EDT)

::I've not had much time to play with it since getting it working, but I think it'll be a fairly slow process. It could be sped up by widening the inlet channel, enlarging the reservoir and having less grates for drainage, but it also increases the risk of drowning. -[[User:Groveller|Groveller]] 06:11, 27 October 2008 (EDT)

== Dwarf Washing ==

Is there any actual way to wash blood splatters off a dwarf, in either adventure or fortress mode? Or is Grov's system just for fun? --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 21:52, 25 October 2008 (EDT)
:Captain Mayday might know. I remember reading in Nist Akath that that Captain Ironblod attempted to bathe, but the blood and vomit all over him wouldn't come off. I'm pretty sure this means it doesn't work. Might ask him what version he was using. --[[User:Xonara|Xonara]] 23:33, 24 January 2009 (EST)

== Surface definition ==

"Note that air-breathers will be unable to breathe two levels beneath the surface." What exactly is the surface? The empty space above the water or the topmost level of water? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Xonara|Xonara]]
: I think it actually means that air-breathers can't breathe in water deeper than 5/7, although I'll admit I could be wrong. -[[User:Fuzzy|Fuzzy]] 09:21, 3 November 2008 (EST)

::Maybe it means that you can't breathe in the bottom layer of a 2-layer reservoir? But that's kinda obvious, since it's always 7/7.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 13:16, 3 November 2008 (EST)

== The Underwater Nom ==

Placing a military dwarf previously ordered to carry two rations and a waterskin in a flooding chamber to teach him to swim, I discovered that dwarves are quite content to eat and drink while swimming, causing the floor of the chamber to be littered with turtle bones and shells from his pack. Is this the usual behavior, or was my dwarf just confused? --[[User:LucienSadi|LucienSadi]] 20:40, 11 December 2008 (EST)
:I seriously doubt Toady could have foreseen that kind of situation, and probably ignored it. Besides, as long as he's not drowning, I don't see any reason he shouldn't eat. I certainly wouldn't let myself starve just because I was in chest deep water :P --[[User:Xonara|Xonara]] 00:47, 25 January 2009 (EST)

== A couple observations ==

Swimmers won't path through water even if they're a legendary swimmer. Though, perhaps they should, currently water completely restricts work in the area. Also, dwarves can swim between z-levels. Non-novice swimmers, at least. --[[User:Xonara|Xonara]] 00:40, 25 January 2009 (EST)

== Saving drowning dwarves ==

how do you do it? what, exactly, do you need to do? i've pretty-much always written 'em off if they've fallen into a river/lake/pond/etc, but i read (in the article) that dwarves would swim to a ramp or such. i've never seen it before, so i didnt think it was possible (hence, the 'swimmer' skill on the embark page always confused me). i've never even seen a dwarf move if they're in water :/ so, what do i need to do to save them? --[[User:DJ Devil|DJ Devil]] 21:17, 12 March 2009 (UTC)

:Dwarves do not fall into rivers/lakes/ponds/etc except when they are pushed/are pulled/have the floor drop out from under them. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 01:25, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

::or 'dodge' into them, or run in after a unicorn they were hunting, yes. i seem to always end up on the map with longnose gar, sturgeon, pike and carp, so alot of my dwarves get pulled in (dispite the restricted traffic areas, and such). and in the article it says they'll swim to the side and go up a ramp or something. quote: "If an untrained or dabbling swimmer jumps into water, four things happen; they start drowning, they are stunned from the impact, they are forced into a prone position, and their movement speed is greatly reduced. The only way to get out of water is to use a ramp or stairway, and if neither are accessible, they're done for.", so.. what do i need to do to give them a chance to get out? where do i put the ramp? on the ground floor, above the water? do i need to dig down into the side of the river, with an ramp? do i need two sets of up/down stairs from the bottom of the river? do i need to construct a wall, door, and a chamber underwater to get them out? what? --[[User:DJ Devil|DJ Devil]]

:::You build the ramp on the same z-level as the river, i.e. "in" the river. If you look at the picture on the [[Ramp]] page, if the river was flowing over the grey ramp, then the grey ramp would allow them to escape. You can put them pretty much anywhere that will let your dwarves get out of the river. --[[User:LegacyCWAL|LegacyCWAL]] 15:50, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

::::yeah, that's what i suspected. i was terribly worried it'd do something strange, though. might be worth adding that to the article, and add that the ramp turns blue when submerged (or, my 'sandy loam downward slope' has)

== Recovering underwater items ==
Can swimmers recover underwater items?

40d Talk:Shield user

2009-03-19T08:02:52Z

Breakfight: Created page with '== Can wrestling moves be blocked with a shield? == I've been trying to train a dwarf in wrestling and have assigned him a shield. By sparring and fighting other wrestlers, woul...'

== Can wrestling moves be blocked with a shield? ==

I've been trying to train a dwarf in wrestling and have assigned him a shield. By sparring and fighting other wrestlers, would his skill in shield user be increased? Because at this point my dwarf is at competent armor user but only at dabbling shield user even though I've started training both at the same time.

40d:Cross-training

2009-02-25T03:53:10Z

Breakfight: /* Dwarf Powered Mill (grower,cook,miller) */

==Cross-training (starting a reserves program)==
Cross-training your military dwarf candidates in civilian disciplines has multiple benefits. First, and most importantly, it gives you several extra stat increases. Toughness, especially, is extremely important for military dwarves; it allows them to take more wounds before passing out from pain, and to recover from wounds faster. Second, it provides a ready pool of recruits in case your military takes a beating at one point or another. Third, it ensures that your dwarves have some domestic skills so they will not receive [[thoughts|unhappy thoughts]] from being dismissed from the military in the event you need to downsize. Finally, most reserves programs provide chronic idlers with some work to do, which can be essential for unskilled workers like peasants to break out of their poverty (and therefore, unhappiness) cycle once the [[dwarven economy]] kicks in. There is nothing saying you have to use only one of these ideas; they are all various approaches to solving this problem.

The biggest thing to remember with a reserves program is that if you're going to go, you go all the way. Don't institute something 'just for a little while' and come up with a handful of novice reservists; they will not get significant stat increases and you'll only waste time. Time is not something you have a heck of a lot of in a reserves program, typically. Remember that after you draft them, most dwarves are going to need about a year of sparring or training before they're ready for heavy combat. You might not have that much time if you are getting sieges regularly.

===Gym ([[pump operator]])===
[[Image:Pump_farm.png|thumb|right|71px|No pain, no gain.]]
The Gym is the most basic sort of reserves program; it merely consists of building a bunch of [[screw pump]]s connected to nothing in a room that's close to [[food]], [[beds]], and [[drink]]. After the pumps are built, order them to be pumped manually, then turn on [[Pump operator|pump operating]] for your reservists.

[[Toughness]] influences how tired your dwarves get. Tougher dwarves can operate a pump longer before getting tired, meaning they will gain skill more quickly than non-tough dwarves. Once dwarves hit Unbelievably Tough, they can operate pumps non-stop. 
'''Pros:'''
*Easy to set up; 4 pumps in the gym will keep at least 8-10 reservists busy around the clock.
*Extra pumps can be added to expand operations very easily.
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Somewhat fast training; legendary in under a year (if other responsibilities like hauling are minimized).
*Very safe; gyms can be placed anywhere in the comfort of your fortress with no issues. 
*If you're really clever, you might be able to arrange your pumps so they power one or more indoor [[waterfall]]s. To get the full benefit of this approach, you would probably have to design your fortress around the waterfalls. Remember not to dig under their feeding tubes!
'''Cons:'''
*Tons of cancel job spam. Every time a reservist exhausts himself and goes to satisfy his basic needs, you'll see "<dwarf> cancels Operate Pump: Exhausted."
*If you have any pumps around that actually DO need to be operated every so often (refilling your [[well]], for example), it could be a serious pain to juggle the useless gym pumps and the ones that are actually useful.

===Artillery proving ground ([[siege operator]])===
Mass-produce some catapults, line them up near a quarry, and fire away. Works well to dispose of stone from a gulag (see below). 
'''Pros:'''
*Trains a skill that's reasonably useful, and provides a place to put all the sub-par siege engine components your [[siege engineer]] will doubtlessly create if you're going for superior-quality engines.
*Harasses the wildlife, which is always fun. 
'''Cons:'''
*Very slow to train (2+ years for legendary).
*Fairly space-consuming to set up a well-designed and usable proving ground.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome (especially when [[elephant]]s are present. If they get winged by a stray boulder, you can bet they're going to be coming straight at you).
*[[Siege operator]]s are civilians, and will run in fear when an enemy approaches them.

===Internship ([[bookkeeper]])===
Turn on highest precision bookkeeping and rotate the appointed noble in and out the second he becomes a legendary bookkeeper. 
'''Pros:'''
*Requires no extra infrastructure at all.
*You need a bookkeeper anyway!
*Totally safe; a bookkeeper spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office.
*Trains outrageously fast; if the office is very close to [[food]], [[beds]], and [[drink]], a bookkeeper can be legendary or close to it in a mere season. 
'''Cons:'''
*Only employs one dwarf at a time; not useful when you have 15-25 candidates for the reserves.
*No announcement when the current intern reaches Legendary status means you can lose time on rotation easily.

===Gulag ([[miner]])===
The gulag is basically a strip mine that is located far away from your main fortress (so you don't have to worry about accidentally screwing up your own building plans; if you are careful in planning, it may be placed closer to your fortress). Take a big square and start leveling it; it's really no more complicated than that. Since [[pick]]s can actually be used as weapons, it's worthwhile to give the reservists who will be working in the gulag picks made out of [[iron]], or, if you are really living large, [[steel]]. Note that you will have to turn your usual mining corps (the civilian miners who are already experienced with mining) off for this setup to work properly. 
'''Pros:'''
*Soldiers enter the military with an emergency weapon in their hand already; this can be critical in the case of [[speardwarf|speardwarves]], who have a habit of losing their weapons in an enemy, or [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]], who are forced to use the [[hammerdwarf]] skill in melee, which they may not even have.
*Toting a pick for close-quarters support might make a legendary [[bowyer]] more useful, since the pathetic bludgeon damage of his [[wood]] and [[bone]] [[crossbows]] are less important.
*Can be quite useful for producing stones you might not have access to normally, or uncovering veins of precious metals.
*Levels quite fast in sand.
*Relatively little oversight from you.
*An overland hike to the gulag will fight [[cave adaptation]] in your military candidates. 
'''Cons:'''
*Juggling your real miners and your reservists when there's real work to be done on the fort can be a chore.
*Hard to keep dwarves in the gulag for too long; they'll inevitably get hungry, thirsty, and tired and start hiking back to the fortress proper.
*Can be dangerous, depending on the biome.
*Does require some amount of oversight from you, especially when your reservists start getting better at mining and run out of work more quickly.

===Renovation ([[stone detailing]])===
Another convenient way to buff up your dwarves, assigning your reservists to mass [[stone detailing]] duty increases your fortress' architectural wealth and makes the place look nicer. While they may clutter the halls somewhat, it doesn't require any special allocation of [[food]], [[beds]] or [[drink]]. Just turn on [[stone detailing]] for your reservists and mark up as much of the fortress as you like for renovation. 
'''Pros:'''
*Even easier to set up; just assign your dwarves and an area and you're good to go.
*Increases your fortress' value and general happiness.
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Very safe, if you only assign areas inside the fortress. 
'''Cons:'''
*Wealth overflow may bring too many [[immigrants]].
*Serious conflict with [[engraving]] assignments; trying to engrave with poorly trained engravers wastes a lot of wealth that essentially comes from nothing. To avoid this, have periods when you only designate stone smoothing, followed by periods where you only designate engraving.
*Careless designation of smoothing areas may have your dwarves trying to smooth walls too close to [[magma]] or a [[river]].

===Sweatshop ([[mason]])===
Make one or more [[mason's workshop]]s in an area with a bunch of junk stone you don't care about, or that you're actively looking to clear. Change the workshop settings to allow only your reservists to use it, then tell the workshop to churn out crafts, junk furniture, stone blocks, and trade goods that you can trade en-masse. Alternatively, forbid your reservists from working in your real mason's workshops, order lots of stone constructions built, and pray that your real masons stay too occupied with the workshops to intrude. Works well in conjunction with a gulag. Alternate ideas for sweatshops include a [[mechanic's workshop]] or a [[magma glass furnace]] to train [[mechanic]] and [[glassmaker]] respectively. ''Note: Do NOT try this with the [[carpenter]] skill, or any other resource you don't have in near-limitless abundance. Sweatshops will consume huge amounts of their associated resources, and if you run out mid-way you have probably wasted your time. This includes [[coke]] or [[charcoal]] used in the normal (non-magma) [[glass furnace]].'' 
'''Pros:'''
*Quantitatively turns a profit. The inferior trade goods can be dumped on the next caravan for more useful commodities like bags, seeds, and logs. Logs are especially useful, since you'll inevitably stamp out lots of bins to support the trade good output.
*Mass-producing blocks makes your constructions higher value.
*Unlike many other training programs, Sweatshops train a skill that is very useful. 
'''Cons:'''
*Slow to level.
*Hard to keep the reservists on task, since they'll need to do plenty of hauling to keep their workshop from becoming chokingly cluttered.
*Can be a logistical nightmare; making bins and organizing hauling for the finished goods can be insane if you're working from a gulag.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome and location of your sweatshops.
*Note also that stone blocks cannot be made into furniture or stone crafts. This may or may not be an issue depending on where you're putting your gulag.

===Dwarf Powered Mill ([[grower]],[[cook]],[[miller]])===
Start off by creating a surplus of [[longland grass]], [[cave wheat]], and/or [[whip vine]] and some bags. Create multiple [[quern]] all close to the food stockpile which contains the millable plants. Next to this area make a [[kitchen]] assigned to an experienced cook. Enable milling for the dwarves you wish to cross-train and order the cook to make lavish meals. As long as your growers provide a steady supply of millable plants and your cook can empty out bags quick enough, the milling jobs will continue. It should be noted that when the seed count for the millable plant gets sufficiently large (500 or so), you can enable cooking for the seeds without worrying about running out. 
'''Pros:'''
*Produces a lot of wealth as flour is a high value ingredient
*Produces high amounts of food
*Sustains the training of non cross-training dwarves such as the cook and growers 
'''Cons:'''
*Requires a surplus of millable plants to ensure continuous milling, thus you may need to increase the number of plots/growers
*If you don't have enough bags and your cook decides to go on break you may end up having job cancellations for the millers
*Dedicated haulers will be required to keep all workshops clutter free

===Overview===
*The gym is the best way to train large amounts of dwarves, though it is relatively slow compared to other methods.
*Artillery training can give you some siege operators, which will be useful if you have ballistae.
*The internship is very fast, but only trains up one dwarf at a time. Your stocks could also lag behind if you are unlucky.
*The gulag requires planning, and your dwarves in the fortress proper may run all the way to the gulag to grab a stone for some crafts, a chair, etc. It does, however, train your dwarves in mining quickly, which is always a useful skill.
*Renovation is hands-free, but may bloat your fortress wealth too quickly.
*The sweatshop creates a large amount of goods, which can be traded away to keep traders happy. It also increases your wealth by quite a lot, which can be good or bad depending upon your situation. The goods are also difficult to manage.

Note that the gym, artillery training, and internship don't take away [[strange mood]] potential (you can give those dwarves dabbling in anything you want and that's how they'll get theirs), while the gulag, renovation, and sweatshop do.

==Army corps of engineers==
Your actual soldiers are obviously only one facet to your military preparation. [[defense|defensive]] structures like [[fortification]]s, [[moat]]s, and above-ground bunkers need civilian support. Further, [[siege engine]]s can only be crewed by civilians, which complicates things somewhat.

The incredible amount of effort required to complete full defensive preparations on many maps (even building a single-floor above ground bunker can take multiple seasons of full-time effort) means that the military can benefit greatly from having a corps of dwarves to support the development full time.

Organizing a corps of engineers requires extra effort and planning on your part, but pays off big later on. Corps engineers become incredibly useful and will produce superior, happiness-inducing structures and items even after their chief issues are done. Also, since their highest [[strange mood]] eligible skill tends to be [[masonry]], it improves your chances of getting a legendary [[mason]], which is always a treat.

===Organizing===
The bread and butter skills of the engineer corps are [[mechanics]], [[masonry]], [[architecture]], and, optionally, [[siege operating]]. Candidates really don't need any prior skills, but if you can throw some immigrants that come with one of these skills already, awesome. Note, however, that in its infancy, the engineer corps is going to be producing fairly little, so you should not use any dwarves who are fairly important. Assign [[potash maker]]s, [[soaper]]s, and the like instead. Miners that have run out of digging work and are suddenly idle are also good candidates. You may wish to swap [[masonry]] with [[carpentry]] if you are doing a challenge where your structures are chiefly made out of wood, but the gist of it is the same.

A suitable number of engineer corps members is 5 to 6 for most fortresses. As a rule of thumb, it's most productive to keep the Engineer Corps at about 7-10% of your population, rounded down. This might seem like a lot when you have the [[fortress guard]] demanding 10%, the [[royal guard]] demanding another 5%, plus what dwarves you have committed to reserves programs or in the regular army. Remember, though, that engineer corps members are civilians and can be pulled away from their normal work for large hauling tasks when the need arises; you will not feel many downsides to occupying them.

After you've decided who you want in the engineer corps, it's suggested that you give them a custom rank. They behave so much like normal civilians that it's hard to keep track of them if you don't. Don't use "Engineer", because that can be a dwarf's auto-rank. Some suggestions for custom ranks are "ROTC," "Reserves," and "Multiple."

After your main fortress is mined out and things are relatively settled, build some [[mason's workshop]]s for the corps to work out of. Build as many as you have corps engineer members, to make sure that everyone is guaranteed to have work, and do it in areas that are suffused with stone, preferably in low-traffic areas, but be careful about [[noise]]. Corps workshops are extremely noisy, so don't build them too close to bedrooms. A good place to start is near your stockpiles, because stone in your stockpiles interferes with the items you can put there.

===Training===
After the corps' workshops are set up, we'll need to change the workshop profiles to make sure the regular masons don't use them. You can do this one of two ways: 
*Go down the Allowed Users list and enable each of the engineer corps' members individually. Tedious, but very effective. Also allows you to stick with the same engineer corps for a long time. 
*Lower the max skill threshhold to "Proficient". Useful if you're more interested in training [[mason]]s than keeping a static engineer corps. 

Then, set the corps' workshops to produce stone blocks. Put it on repeat. Keep it there. This is going to be the corps' only job for it's few seasons, to train up masonry.

'''Why are we building blocks?:''' A couple of reasons. 
* 1) Blocks have no quality modifier. That means that your dabbling mason engineer corps members are producing blocks every bit as good as your legendary masons. 
* 2) Blocks can be used in building constructions. What was the Corps' first job? Building, of course! 
* 3) Blocks make higher-value constructions than normal stone. Constructions made out of stone will become "Rough (rock) (construction)", while block constructions will eliminate the rough modifier and contribute more to the fortress's wealth. 
* 4) Blocks can be organized into bins or simply left in the workshop, reducing stone clutter. This is important for planning stockpiles. 
* 5) Blocks make it easier to budget stone for constructions, so you can see if you're running low on material or using more than you expected. 

All along the training process, you should, of course, be building constructions as needed. Greenhouse floors and basic walls are extremely important and should not be delayed. This just provides a nice blueprint to making an effective engineer corps.

After you're satisfied with where the masons are (no-tag is a good place to be), move on to training mechanics. Shut down the [[mason's workshop]]s and build [[mechanic's workshop]]s right next to them. Start churning out mechanisms. After you've got a decent handful, you may decide to build experience by building and deconstructing levers, or linking them all a door. Don't go too overboard with training mechanics. Again, no-tag is a good place to be. Mechanics are not used enough to warrant going all out.

After you're done with mechanics, switch to architecture. The easiest way to do this is to build a bunch of supports around the mason's workshops (16 total). Use the blocks you've been producing. After they're done, tear them down to reclaim the block, then put them back up again. This trains both architecture and masonry, giving you more net experience, but stagnating block production. Further, as long as architecture is not enabled on your regular masons, they will not interfere with the training. Architecture is useful, because dwarves trained in it will erect buildings faster, and seeing them will cause happy thoughts. Factor in how easy it is to train up and it's a no-brainer. Of course, feel free to stop this at any time to attend to more urgent matters.

After the architecture is at proficient or so, you can, at your discretion, enable the [[siege operating]] labor to train the engineer corps in the use of artillery. This is mainly to give them an actual military use, and since cross-training them like this reduces the military's overall impact on your society. If you've got enough dwarves to make a separate artillery corps, go right ahead.

===The payoff===
After the training starts taking hold, you will have a cadre of proficient building designers, proficient masons, skilled mechanics, and (optionally) proficient siege operators. This can happen in as little as 3 years of training. You can (and should!) continue to train them until they are legendary in all of these, but that is very long term. In the shorter, 3 year term, you have a rock-solid foundation to react to any construction demand with speed, efficiency, and awesome quality.

{{Military FAQ}}

[[Category:Military| ]]
[[Category:Fortress defense]]

40d:Cross-training

2009-02-24T20:31:23Z

Breakfight:

==Cross-training (starting a reserves program)==
Cross-training your military dwarf candidates in civilian disciplines has multiple benefits. First, and most importantly, it gives you several extra stat increases. Toughness, especially, is extremely important for military dwarves; it allows them to take more wounds before passing out from pain, and to recover from wounds faster. Second, it provides a ready pool of recruits in case your military takes a beating at one point or another. Third, it ensures that your dwarves have some domestic skills so they will not receive [[thoughts|unhappy thoughts]] from being dismissed from the military in the event you need to downsize. Finally, most reserves programs provide chronic idlers with some work to do, which can be essential for unskilled workers like peasants to break out of their poverty (and therefore, unhappiness) cycle once the [[dwarven economy]] kicks in. There is nothing saying you have to use only one of these ideas; they are all various approaches to solving this problem.

The biggest thing to remember with a reserves program is that if you're going to go, you go all the way. Don't institute something 'just for a little while' and come up with a handful of novice reservists; they will not get significant stat increases and you'll only waste time. Time is not something you have a heck of a lot of in a reserves program, typically. Remember that after you draft them, most dwarves are going to need about a year of sparring or training before they're ready for heavy combat. You might not have that much time if you are getting sieges regularly.

===Gym ([[pump operator]])===
[[Image:Pump_farm.png|thumb|right|71px|No pain, no gain.]]
The Gym is the most basic sort of reserves program; it merely consists of building a bunch of [[screw pump]]s connected to nothing in a room that's close to [[food]], [[beds]], and [[drink]]. After the pumps are built, order them to be pumped manually, then turn on [[Pump operator|pump operating]] for your reservists.

[[Toughness]] influences how tired your dwarves get. Tougher dwarves can operate a pump longer before getting tired, meaning they will gain skill more quickly than non-tough dwarves. Once dwarves hit Unbelievably Tough, they can operate pumps non-stop. 
'''Pros:'''
*Easy to set up; 4 pumps in the gym will keep at least 8-10 reservists busy around the clock.
*Extra pumps can be added to expand operations very easily.
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Somewhat fast training; legendary in under a year (if other responsibilities like hauling are minimized).
*Very safe; gyms can be placed anywhere in the comfort of your fortress with no issues. 
*If you're really clever, you might be able to arrange your pumps so they power one or more indoor [[waterfall]]s. To get the full benefit of this approach, you would probably have to design your fortress around the waterfalls. Remember not to dig under their feeding tubes!
'''Cons:'''
*Tons of cancel job spam. Every time a reservist exhausts himself and goes to satisfy his basic needs, you'll see "<dwarf> cancels Operate Pump: Exhausted."
*If you have any pumps around that actually DO need to be operated every so often (refilling your [[well]], for example), it could be a serious pain to juggle the useless gym pumps and the ones that are actually useful.

===Artillery proving ground ([[siege operator]])===
Mass-produce some catapults, line them up near a quarry, and fire away. Works well to dispose of stone from a gulag (see below). 
'''Pros:'''
*Trains a skill that's reasonably useful, and provides a place to put all the sub-par siege engine components your [[siege engineer]] will doubtlessly create if you're going for superior-quality engines.
*Harasses the wildlife, which is always fun. 
'''Cons:'''
*Very slow to train (2+ years for legendary).
*Fairly space-consuming to set up a well-designed and usable proving ground.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome (especially when [[elephant]]s are present. If they get winged by a stray boulder, you can bet they're going to be coming straight at you).
*[[Siege operator]]s are civilians, and will run in fear when an enemy approaches them.

===Internship ([[bookkeeper]])===
Turn on highest precision bookkeeping and rotate the appointed noble in and out the second he becomes a legendary bookkeeper. 
'''Pros:'''
*Requires no extra infrastructure at all.
*You need a bookkeeper anyway!
*Totally safe; a bookkeeper spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office.
*Trains outrageously fast; if the office is very close to [[food]], [[beds]], and [[drink]], a bookkeeper can be legendary or close to it in a mere season. 
'''Cons:'''
*Only employs one dwarf at a time; not useful when you have 15-25 candidates for the reserves.
*No announcement when the current intern reaches Legendary status means you can lose time on rotation easily.

===Gulag ([[miner]])===
The gulag is basically a strip mine that is located far away from your main fortress (so you don't have to worry about accidentally screwing up your own building plans; if you are careful in planning, it may be placed closer to your fortress). Take a big square and start leveling it; it's really no more complicated than that. Since [[pick]]s can actually be used as weapons, it's worthwhile to give the reservists who will be working in the gulag picks made out of [[iron]], or, if you are really living large, [[steel]]. Note that you will have to turn your usual mining corps (the civilian miners who are already experienced with mining) off for this setup to work properly. 
'''Pros:'''
*Soldiers enter the military with an emergency weapon in their hand already; this can be critical in the case of [[speardwarf|speardwarves]], who have a habit of losing their weapons in an enemy, or [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]], who are forced to use the [[hammerdwarf]] skill in melee, which they may not even have.
*Toting a pick for close-quarters support might make a legendary [[bowyer]] more useful, since the pathetic bludgeon damage of his [[wood]] and [[bone]] [[crossbows]] are less important.
*Can be quite useful for producing stones you might not have access to normally, or uncovering veins of precious metals.
*Levels quite fast in sand.
*Relatively little oversight from you.
*An overland hike to the gulag will fight [[cave adaptation]] in your military candidates. 
'''Cons:'''
*Juggling your real miners and your reservists when there's real work to be done on the fort can be a chore.
*Hard to keep dwarves in the gulag for too long; they'll inevitably get hungry, thirsty, and tired and start hiking back to the fortress proper.
*Can be dangerous, depending on the biome.
*Does require some amount of oversight from you, especially when your reservists start getting better at mining and run out of work more quickly.

===Renovation ([[stone detailing]])===
Another convenient way to buff up your dwarves, assigning your reservists to mass [[stone detailing]] duty increases your fortress' architectural wealth and makes the place look nicer. While they may clutter the halls somewhat, it doesn't require any special allocation of [[food]], [[beds]] or [[drink]]. Just turn on [[stone detailing]] for your reservists and mark up as much of the fortress as you like for renovation. 
'''Pros:'''
*Even easier to set up; just assign your dwarves and an area and you're good to go.
*Increases your fortress' value and general happiness.
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Very safe, if you only assign areas inside the fortress. 
'''Cons:'''
*Wealth overflow may bring too many [[immigrants]].
*Serious conflict with [[engraving]] assignments; trying to engrave with poorly trained engravers wastes a lot of wealth that essentially comes from nothing. To avoid this, have periods when you only designate stone smoothing, followed by periods where you only designate engraving.
*Careless designation of smoothing areas may have your dwarves trying to smooth walls too close to [[magma]] or a [[river]].

===Sweatshop ([[mason]])===
Make one or more [[mason's workshop]]s in an area with a bunch of junk stone you don't care about, or that you're actively looking to clear. Change the workshop settings to allow only your reservists to use it, then tell the workshop to churn out crafts, junk furniture, stone blocks, and trade goods that you can trade en-masse. Alternatively, forbid your reservists from working in your real mason's workshops, order lots of stone constructions built, and pray that your real masons stay too occupied with the workshops to intrude. Works well in conjunction with a gulag. Alternate ideas for sweatshops include a [[mechanic's workshop]] or a [[magma glass furnace]] to train [[mechanic]] and [[glassmaker]] respectively. ''Note: Do NOT try this with the [[carpenter]] skill, or any other resource you don't have in near-limitless abundance. Sweatshops will consume huge amounts of their associated resources, and if you run out mid-way you have probably wasted your time. This includes [[coke]] or [[charcoal]] used in the normal (non-magma) [[glass furnace]].'' 
'''Pros:'''
*Quantitatively turns a profit. The inferior trade goods can be dumped on the next caravan for more useful commodities like bags, seeds, and logs. Logs are especially useful, since you'll inevitably stamp out lots of bins to support the trade good output.
*Mass-producing blocks makes your constructions higher value.
*Unlike many other training programs, Sweatshops train a skill that is very useful. 
'''Cons:'''
*Slow to level.
*Hard to keep the reservists on task, since they'll need to do plenty of hauling to keep their workshop from becoming chokingly cluttered.
*Can be a logistical nightmare; making bins and organizing hauling for the finished goods can be insane if you're working from a gulag.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome and location of your sweatshops.
*Note also that stone blocks cannot be made into furniture or stone crafts. This may or may not be an issue depending on where you're putting your gulag.

===Dwarf Powered Mill ([[grower]],[[cook]],[[miller]])===
Start off by creating a surplus of [[longland grass]], [[cave wheat]], and/or [[whip vine]] and some bags. Create multiple [[quern]] all close to the food stockpile which contains the millable plants. Next to this area make a [[kitchen]] assigned to an experienced cook. Enable milling for the dwarves you wish to cross-train and order the cook to make lavish meals. As long as your growers provide a steady supply of millable plants and your cook can empty out bags quick enough, the milling jobs will continue. It should be noted that when the seed count for the millable plant gets sufficiently large (500 or so), you can enable cooking for the seeds without worrying about running out. 
'''Pros:'''
*Produces a lot of wealth as flour is a high value ingredient
*Produces high amounts of food
*Sustains the training of non cross-training dwarves such as the cook and growers 
'''Cons:'''
*Requires a surplus of millable plants to ensure continuous milling, thus you may need to increase the number of plots/growers
*If you don't have enough bags, if your cook decides to go on break you may end up having job cancellations for the millers
*Dedicated haulers will be required to keep all workshops clutter free

===Overview===
*The gym is the best way to train large amounts of dwarves, though it is relatively slow compared to other methods.
*Artillery training can give you some siege operators, which will be useful if you have ballistae.
*The internship is very fast, but only trains up one dwarf at a time. Your stocks could also lag behind if you are unlucky.
*The gulag requires planning, and your dwarves in the fortress proper may run all the way to the gulag to grab a stone for some crafts, a chair, etc. It does, however, train your dwarves in mining quickly, which is always a useful skill.
*Renovation is hands-free, but may bloat your fortress wealth too quickly.
*The sweatshop creates a large amount of goods, which can be traded away to keep traders happy. It also increases your wealth by quite a lot, which can be good or bad depending upon your situation. The goods are also difficult to manage.

Note that the gym, artillery training, and internship don't take away [[strange mood]] potential (you can give those dwarves dabbling in anything you want and that's how they'll get theirs), while the gulag, renovation, and sweatshop do.

==Army corps of engineers==
Your actual soldiers are obviously only one facet to your military preparation. [[defense|defensive]] structures like [[fortification]]s, [[moat]]s, and above-ground bunkers need civilian support. Further, [[siege engine]]s can only be crewed by civilians, which complicates things somewhat.

The incredible amount of effort required to complete full defensive preparations on many maps (even building a single-floor above ground bunker can take multiple seasons of full-time effort) means that the military can benefit greatly from having a corps of dwarves to support the development full time.

Organizing a corps of engineers requires extra effort and planning on your part, but pays off big later on. Corps engineers become incredibly useful and will produce superior, happiness-inducing structures and items even after their chief issues are done. Also, since their highest [[strange mood]] eligible skill tends to be [[masonry]], it improves your chances of getting a legendary [[mason]], which is always a treat.

===Organizing===
The bread and butter skills of the engineer corps are [[mechanics]], [[masonry]], [[architecture]], and, optionally, [[siege operating]]. Candidates really don't need any prior skills, but if you can throw some immigrants that come with one of these skills already, awesome. Note, however, that in its infancy, the engineer corps is going to be producing fairly little, so you should not use any dwarves who are fairly important. Assign [[potash maker]]s, [[soaper]]s, and the like instead. Miners that have run out of digging work and are suddenly idle are also good candidates. You may wish to swap [[masonry]] with [[carpentry]] if you are doing a challenge where your structures are chiefly made out of wood, but the gist of it is the same.

A suitable number of engineer corps members is 5 to 6 for most fortresses. As a rule of thumb, it's most productive to keep the Engineer Corps at about 7-10% of your population, rounded down. This might seem like a lot when you have the [[fortress guard]] demanding 10%, the [[royal guard]] demanding another 5%, plus what dwarves you have committed to reserves programs or in the regular army. Remember, though, that engineer corps members are civilians and can be pulled away from their normal work for large hauling tasks when the need arises; you will not feel many downsides to occupying them.

After you've decided who you want in the engineer corps, it's suggested that you give them a custom rank. They behave so much like normal civilians that it's hard to keep track of them if you don't. Don't use "Engineer", because that can be a dwarf's auto-rank. Some suggestions for custom ranks are "ROTC," "Reserves," and "Multiple."

After your main fortress is mined out and things are relatively settled, build some [[mason's workshop]]s for the corps to work out of. Build as many as you have corps engineer members, to make sure that everyone is guaranteed to have work, and do it in areas that are suffused with stone, preferably in low-traffic areas, but be careful about [[noise]]. Corps workshops are extremely noisy, so don't build them too close to bedrooms. A good place to start is near your stockpiles, because stone in your stockpiles interferes with the items you can put there.

===Training===
After the corps' workshops are set up, we'll need to change the workshop profiles to make sure the regular masons don't use them. You can do this one of two ways: 
*Go down the Allowed Users list and enable each of the engineer corps' members individually. Tedious, but very effective. Also allows you to stick with the same engineer corps for a long time. 
*Lower the max skill threshhold to "Proficient". Useful if you're more interested in training [[mason]]s than keeping a static engineer corps. 

Then, set the corps' workshops to produce stone blocks. Put it on repeat. Keep it there. This is going to be the corps' only job for it's few seasons, to train up masonry.

'''Why are we building blocks?:''' A couple of reasons. 
* 1) Blocks have no quality modifier. That means that your dabbling mason engineer corps members are producing blocks every bit as good as your legendary masons. 
* 2) Blocks can be used in building constructions. What was the Corps' first job? Building, of course! 
* 3) Blocks make higher-value constructions than normal stone. Constructions made out of stone will become "Rough (rock) (construction)", while block constructions will eliminate the rough modifier and contribute more to the fortress's wealth. 
* 4) Blocks can be organized into bins or simply left in the workshop, reducing stone clutter. This is important for planning stockpiles. 
* 5) Blocks make it easier to budget stone for constructions, so you can see if you're running low on material or using more than you expected. 

All along the training process, you should, of course, be building constructions as needed. Greenhouse floors and basic walls are extremely important and should not be delayed. This just provides a nice blueprint to making an effective engineer corps.

After you're satisfied with where the masons are (no-tag is a good place to be), move on to training mechanics. Shut down the [[mason's workshop]]s and build [[mechanic's workshop]]s right next to them. Start churning out mechanisms. After you've got a decent handful, you may decide to build experience by building and deconstructing levers, or linking them all a door. Don't go too overboard with training mechanics. Again, no-tag is a good place to be. Mechanics are not used enough to warrant going all out.

After you're done with mechanics, switch to architecture. The easiest way to do this is to build a bunch of supports around the mason's workshops (16 total). Use the blocks you've been producing. After they're done, tear them down to reclaim the block, then put them back up again. This trains both architecture and masonry, giving you more net experience, but stagnating block production. Further, as long as architecture is not enabled on your regular masons, they will not interfere with the training. Architecture is useful, because dwarves trained in it will erect buildings faster, and seeing them will cause happy thoughts. Factor in how easy it is to train up and it's a no-brainer. Of course, feel free to stop this at any time to attend to more urgent matters.

After the architecture is at proficient or so, you can, at your discretion, enable the [[siege operating]] labor to train the engineer corps in the use of artillery. This is mainly to give them an actual military use, and since cross-training them like this reduces the military's overall impact on your society. If you've got enough dwarves to make a separate artillery corps, go right ahead.

===The payoff===
After the training starts taking hold, you will have a cadre of proficient building designers, proficient masons, skilled mechanics, and (optionally) proficient siege operators. This can happen in as little as 3 years of training. You can (and should!) continue to train them until they are legendary in all of these, but that is very long term. In the shorter, 3 year term, you have a rock-solid foundation to react to any construction demand with speed, efficiency, and awesome quality.

{{Military FAQ}}

[[Category:Military| ]]
[[Category:Fortress defense]]